Obama's Bad Trip by Richard Wolffe

[spiritual_gunfighter]

Obama's Bad Trip


He bowed to Japan. He treaded lightly with China. And then Israel thumbed its nose at Obama’s calls to freeze settlements. Richard Wolffe on why the president can’t wait to come home.

To the president’s critics, this week’s White House trip to Asia has largely failed because of excessive deference. Obama bowed to the Japanese emperor, and he metaphorically genuflected to the Chinese leadership by refusing to confront them publicly about human rights.

Yet the president’s biggest foreign-policy setback of the week—by several orders of magnitude—came on the other side of Asia. And its negative impact was worsened by an administration policy that started with public confrontation, not compromise.

(snip)

More Daily Beast contributors on Palin’s book tour. Small wonder that the White House issued an unusually heated statement on Tuesday, placing the words in the mouth of the hot-headed press secretary, Robert Gibbs. “We are dismayed at the Jerusalem Planning Committee’s decision to move forward on the approval process for the expansion of Gilo in Jerusalem. At a time when we are working to re-launch negotiations, these actions make it more difficult for our efforts to succeed,” he said. “Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally pre-empt, or appear to pre-empt, negotiations.”


http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-11-18/obamas-bad-trip/


I posted this not to highlight a negative Obama story, but to show all the Richard Wolffe defenders during the Countdown/lobbyist fiasco a few months ago that Richard Wolffe may not be on your side after all.

[grantcart]

1. How dare he not beat up on China right before we pass a jobs bill that they

will have to fund by buying American bonds.

Give me a fucking break Wolffe

[spiritual_gunfighter]

3. Wolffe's agenda is transparent

Making an issue out of the "bow" and calling Robert Gibbs "hot-headed" gives him away.

[jbnow]

13. Gibbs is about as hot headed as Obama is sharp tongued and temperamental

It just isn't there.
Gibbs is a bit sarcastic...but I like that. Was he sarcastic with Wolffe and Wolfee felt yelled at?

[thereismore]

2. Israel' s actions are a major headache, imo. nt

[Thrill]

4. Sad state of journalism in this country

.

[depakid]

9. That was as shallow as it gets.

[peacetalksforall]

5. He never was and never will be a Democratic friend. DUers should wise up.

He is on Olberman because he is on the MSNBC-Newsweek payroll just like many of the other guests who have, for years into decades, been decimating Deomcrats. My great wish is for all DUers to wise up. There was a short period of pretending to like Obama and be admiistration-friendly - and we'll see that see-saw subtle viciousness and fool the viewer rhetoric as long as things go well for Obama and Dems, but will turn on a dime if it doesn't.

Never forget that the company is owned by a war weapons company who brought us a Jack Welsh legacy in policy.

Just watch him and prove or disprove my accusations about him.


"I posted this not to highlight a negative Obama story, but to show all the Richard Wolffe defenders during the Countdown/lobbyist fiasco a few months ago that Richard Wolffe may not be on your side after all.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

7. He must hate women.... he treated Hillary like shit.

:shrug:



I do think he was favorable in the General Election, so I'm glad he helped us then.

[Cha]

6. Hey, wolffe..President Obama treated the

Japanese with respect(something you know nothing about) and he did talk about Human Rights in China that you would have learned if you didn't have your head up your mediawhore a$$.

[tularetom]

8. Wolffe and Fineman talk one way on Countdown

And flip flop completely in other venues.

I never trusted Richard Wolffe.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

10. I think in this context it is interesting to revisit the MSNBC/lobbyist flap

from August, the reality is that Wolffe is a lobbyist who works for former Bush Communications Director Dan Bartlett. Gawker and Glenn Greenwald were on the case back then.

http://gawker.com/5328376/the-secret-shameless-sleaze-of-msnbcs-richard-wolffe

I think it is something to think about whenever you read anything he writes.

[rebel with a cause]

12. What they say/write all depends on who is signing their paycheck.

This just goes to show there is little if any scruples in the news media today. And I am not talking about the little guy trying to cover the news fairly, but the big named journalists that are just interested in what is good for them.

[quantass]

11. I'm hard on Obama but i disagree with Wolffe.

However, this Isralei thing is annoying and in ways i think it was expected that Israel would not give in so easily. Over the years i figure Obama will "hopefully" get more aggressive with them. Although i do feel Obama still thinks his GE aura still carries weight overseas he will eventually come to realize he needs to be more lovingly forceful, not psychotically suicidal as Chenny in his diplomacy. Right now, especially with Israel i think he is walking a tightrope and personally i feel he did the right thing for that moment but now its time to step it up just a tad -- bit by bit.

[peacetalksforall]

14. I don't think we should wait for Obama to have an effect on Israel. It is up to

us to protest expansionism and the mega way Israel goes after land, death, destruction, maiming, homelessness by kicking people out of their homes and off their land.

What we can push for is -

> an end to furnishing Israel with technology and stop selling military-aviation 'tools' of any kind and construction equipment - food - nuclear bomb parts.

> an end to any intelligence work they do for us in any form an end to sharing intelligence.

> an end to aid or whatever the name is for the funding we provide them.

One or all of these.

They have proven that they are not going to listen to us.

All these years we were fooled about peace. It was two way, but being 'our friend' did not make one bit of difference.

Corpacracy from barons to foreigh powers rule and Israel is included.

We are becoming a small player.

They don't want us to have a say - but we must speak out.

It is all inhuman on all sides.

To say it in the evangelical religious way - GOD would not want us to be silent.

[Cali_Democrat]

15. We're DOOOOOOOOMED!1!1!1!1!1!

:eyes:

[bertman]

16. Wolffe is a Dick. Capital D.

[Norrin Radd]

17. I thought he was Reed Richards.

[mcablue]

18. Wolffe's boss is George W. Bush's Communications Director, Dan Barlett

GLENN GREENWALD: 8-1-09: Wolffe left Newsweek last March in order to join "Public Strategies, Inc.," the corporate communications firm run by former Bush White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett, its President and CEO.


http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/08/01/ge/print.html